Brothers And Boyfriends
by pretty in orange
Summary: When Relena's parents die in a car crash, she's forced to go live with her long lost brother, though she finds love with the kind neighbor boy... DuoXRelena. AU. T for some coarse language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've never written this couple before, but it was my first favorite couple, so we'll see what happens. Anyway, tell me how my driving is, leave a review. This is Relena's point of view.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this.

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><p>"Relena..." The social worker, Anna, tapped my shoulder. "We have to be going. I know it's hard, losing both parents so suddenly. But your brother is waiting."<p>

"He left when he turned eighteen." I clung to the family headstone, under which my parent's bodies lay. Cold. Dressed in their Sunday best. I swallowed a hard sob and followed Anna to the car. "What if he doesn't want me? Where will I go? I have no other family..."

"When we contacted him, he directly asked for custody." Anna gave me a reassuring smile.

"Thank you. For being so kind." I rubbed at my eyes and took a deep breath. I hadn't seen my older brother, Milliardo, since he turned eighteen, and I had been thirteen. Now, three years later I was going to live with him.

This was too much. I couldn't handle it.

But I had to. I was a Peacecraft, an honorable family.

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><p>"Relena?" He was sitting in a chair on the porch, and he stepped forward, as if he wasn't sure how I would react.<p>

Even I didn't know how I'd react, what I would say. I was playing Russian roulette with my feelings, waving the lit match around the bomb's fuse.

"Relena, I'm so sorry." Milliardo took another cautious step.

"You abandoned us." I stared him down, but I wanted to cry. "You didn't even come to the funeral. You avoided our calls like we were telemarketers."

"It's a long story, just not today, alright?" Milliardo stopped advancing. "I am sorry, if it helps any."

I looked away, tears pooling in my eyes. He was my big brother, the one that had defended me from bullies, played make-believe with me, put Band-Aids on my cuts and scrapes. I both wanted to be beyond mad at him and wanted to run up to him and hug him.

I scuffed my shoes on the pavement and didn't look at him. I didn't want to cry in front of this asshole who had run away and left me all alone.

"I know you're angry, but will you at least come inside?" Milliardo extended his hand to me; just the same way he had when I fell off my bike as a kid. My brother the gentleman.

My brother the jerk.

I bolted past Anna, down the street. I couldn't hear anyone chasing me, but then again my blood was pounding in my ears so hard I couldn't have heard myself scream. I wasn't out of shape, but I wasn't a runner.

That was probably why I couldn't stop when I ran straight into a brunette boy about my age. Surprisingly, he didn't topple over; he just grabbed me.

"What's wrong, lady?" He had bright blue eyes and a long chestnut braid down his back. His eyes were worried, and he glanced up, behind me.

"Whoa, Peacecraft, I thought you were with Noin!" the boy exclaimed. "I mean, isn't this one a little young for you?"

"Duo, let's not get into this right now." My brother sounded out of breath and I was happy about that. Good, he owed me some kind of payment for all those years I worried about him. "She's my little sister, and she's been through a lot recently."

"Don't call me little." I growled, trying to catch my breath. "And I hate you, I hate you so much, Milliardo. You may be my brother by blood but you're not my brother at heart!"

I didn't look back; I didn't want to see his stung look.

"Peacecraft, why don't you let me walk her home?" Duo – what a strange name – asked. "I think she just needs to calm down, and I don't think you qualify for the job at the moment."

I assumed that Milliardo nodded, because I heard his footsteps retreat. I tried to swallow my sobs down, but the tears came anyway. Before I knew what was happening, Duo had hugged me against him, rubbing my back and stroking my hair.

"I don't even know you." I said, and though I wasn't sobbing, my voice was thick with tears. "Why are you... I don't understand..."

"You need someone right now." Duo murmured, his voice calm. "Your brother isn't going to calm you down at all, so I took the task."

I didn't say anything, but I stared up at Duo for a few long moments.

He wiped my tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie. "Ready to go home? Peacecraft's probably worried about you."

"Do I have to?" I asked, but I was getting the tears under control. "I hate him."

"No, you don't." Duo sighed. "C'mon, I think I see Noin's car in his driveway. She can mediate between you two, even if she is his girlfriend."

I gave him a long look, and then took his hand. Still, it was a debate about whether or not I really hated my brother. He _had_ abandoned the family, but he had been there for thirteen years of my life...

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><p>AN: This is a longer first chapter than I usually do. How am I doing? You can tell me in a review, and I can thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Holy cheese and crackers, I feel like I haven't done a point of view project in forever. I may love my OCs, but they take a lot out of me. Anyway, thank you for sticking around for the second chapter. This chapter is for StormyMonday who reminded me exactly how much I love 2XR... and she also made sure I wasn't using the wrong numbers too. Thank you StormyMonday, this one's for you!

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Gundam Wing or make a profit from this.

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><p>"Relena, you're going to have to talk to your brother sometime." This lady that Duo had introduced to me as "Noin" sighed. "He loves you a lot."<p>

My brother sat in a chair at the opposite side of the room. If he was less mature about it, he would've been sulking, but instead he just had a blank look to him. He was watching me, though he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes.

"He abandoned our family the second he turned 18." I kept my strong girl façade up, wishing I had someone I could cling to. Too bad Duo had left. "I haven't so much as heard his voice in three years, why would I ever want to talk to him?"

"Maybe he had a good reason to leave." Noin shot a look at Milliardo and cleared her throat. "You better not make me tell her." She told him, voice firm and eyes alluding to something that I couldn't quite define.

"Right before I left..." Milliardo began slowly. "Noin found out she was having my baby. But since we were only eighteen, our parents insisted she have an abortion. When we refused both of our parents kicked us out. We came here to find a new life."

"I have a niece or a nephew?" I asked slowly. My brain wasn't processing that both Noin and Milliardo were there and there wasn't a child around.

"I lost the baby shortly after we found a place to stay." Noin wouldn't look at either Milliardo or me. "Our parents didn't want us back though, having disobeyed them so strongly."

"I'm sorry." I stuttered, suddenly feeling like I might either vomit or start crying. I didn't know our parents had been so unforgiving. Milliardo hadn't abandoned me because of some master plan to ditch his family. He had thought that he was going to have a family of his own he needed to care for. My mouth went sour with self-hate.

"I never meant to leave you, Relena." Milliardo sighed. "I tried to call the first few months, but our parents assumed I would do that. They didn't want me corrupting you, so they would pick it up, and when they knew it was me, they would hang up on me."

I thought back, and when I realized that in those few months after my brother had left, the amount of calls that Mom or Dad would slam down and say, "Damn telemarketers", increased by a large number. I sank down in my chair, feeling guilty.

"You didn't know, Relena." Milliardo attempted to give me a smile. "It's not your fault."

"You had a right to think that he abandoned you," Noin added. "But not anymore. Your brother deserves your forgiveness."

I nodded, and then ran into the bathroom. I didn't puke, though I hadn't eaten since before the funeral anyway, I just shut the door and sat on the tile floor. I was so stupid for ever having thought my big brother would abandon me like that. I felt the tears slip down, and I curled tighter in a ball. I wanted to disappear, I didn't want to hate or love or anything in between. I wanted to drift in my own universe, cold and alone.

"Relena?" Milliardo knocked on the bathroom door. "Relena are you alright?"

"No." I whimpered, hating the very sound of it. "I hate this, I hate it so much. Everything is screwed up, everyone's been screwed over, and it's not fair." I didn't say screwed though, and I could practically hear my brother's surprise at my use of improper language.

"Why don't you come out of there?" Milliardo asked, though I didn't understand why he didn't reprimand me for my language. Estranged or not, he was a Peacecraft still, right?

"Because I want to die alone. I hate myself." I could feel the collar of my shirt soaking with my own tears. "I hate myself, and I hate our parents, and I hate the fact I feel bad for our parents having died in that car crash." My stomach growled and I glared down at it.

"I don't hate you." Milliardo leaned against the door. "I love you, you're the best sister I ever could've asked for. Come on out of there and we'll talk over lunch."

Tempted by the thought of food, and a brother that wasn't angry, I opened the door and slipped out of the bathroom.

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><p>AN: I do have to try to do some fiction work at some point tonight, and it's already past midnight. If I'm still awake enough after the fiction work I'll come back here to add again. But we'll see. Anyway, I would love it if you reviewed, and thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm trying my best to hurry before it storms, so we'll see how this goes. And I still have fiction work to do too...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam wing and I make no profit from this.

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><p>That evening, I walked down the sidewalk in the evening air. As I glanced around, I realized that this was a surprisingly good town for a college dropout like my brother. I wondered how he had managed to get a house in that neighborhood with no college degree.<p>

"Hey, it's Relena!" Duo came running at me and I sidestepped, leaving him to barely be able to stop. "Aww, come on, you did it to me, I don't get to do it to you?"

I couldn't help smiling, but I kept my tone neutral. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Alright, alright." Duo sighed and motioned for me to come sit with him. "Are you feeling better?"

"In some ways." I shrugged and sat on the curb with him. "In some ways I feel so much worse."

He hugged me against his side. "I know it's hard." When I looked up at him, he didn't say anything for a long moment, and then he sighed. "When I was four, my parents went out for date night. When they left that car again, they were in body bags."

"I'm so sorry." I felt like crying all over again, for him and me. "Today sucks. I found out the real reason my brother left, my parents are dead, I'm bringing up bad memories for you... My social worker thinks I'm the biggest whacko she's ever had to work with..."

"Hey." Duo caught my chin in his hand and turned my face towards him. "You've got me, and Peacecraft, and probably Noin."

"Right." I laughed weakly. "Noin hates me, I'm pretty sure. She seemed like she was mad at me for even being there."

"She's been having a bad month." Duo said as if that explained everything. "Ask her about it when you get a chance and she's not pissed."

"How would you know?" I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to stare him down but only succeeding in raising my heart rate. It might've just been the shock from everything, but suddenly his blue eyes looked way too pretty to ignore.

"I tend to listen in on my Aunt's conversations with Noin. But..." He paused and put a finger to my lips, causing tingles to shoot through my lips and face in general. "_Shh. _You didn't hear me say that."

"Then why can't you just tell me Mr. Eavesdropper?" I pressed, leaning back a little, out of his touch.

"Because Noin will be upset if you just know." Duo stood and held out his hand to help me up. "So you need to find out for yourself."

I shivered, I hadn't realized that the temperature had dropped a good ten degrees, the sun was most of the way down, and the streetlamps had come on.

"Sorry, I don't have a jacket for you to wear." Duo gave me a sheepish grin, and then pulled me tight against his side. "We should get you home."

"I don't want to." I murmured, leaning my head on his shoulder. "They hate me there. They think I'm a horrible, cruel, selfish little brat."

"You're not. So prove it to them." Duo gently led me down the street, towards my house. "Your brother loves you, I'm sure. Noin... well, just talk to her and you'll get what's going on."

"You're so weird... how did you even get the name Duo anyway?" I pressed.

"Because I had a twin who died before I was born." Duo pulled me closer, fitting me against his side. I didn't know who it was for, him or me, but I definitely didn't mind. "So my Mom thought that if I had the name Duo, my twin would always be with me."

I nodded, appreciating the closeness. I had had a boyfriend, back at my old home, but when he found out I was leaving town, he had dumped me for my old best friend. Some friend she was.

"Here we are." Duo stopped on the sidewalk in front of my brother's house. "I won't walk you up to the door because we're not, you know, together... yet." He gave me a grin that made my stomach flutter. "I'll wait until you're inside to leave though."

I nodded, and then started up the path to Milliardo's house. It didn't feel right, and twice I turned back to look at Duo. Each time he gave me a reassuring, sympathetic look, and each time I took the steps to make it up to the house, slowly but surely.

"Bye." I gave Duo a little wave as I opened the door and slipped inside. He gave me a nod and a grin before I shot the door.

"Relena!" It wasn't an angry yell, more so it was one of relief. The next thing I knew, Noin and my brother had engulfed me in a big, three person hug.

"We were worried about you." Milliardo sighed. "We don't mind you going out, but could you please tell us where you'll be next time?"

"I was just taking a walk, and then I started talking to Duo." I pointed at the sidewalk where I had been. "We were just a little ways down the street." Still, I couldn't help but revel in the closeness. Despite that I didn't know Noin that well, she was almost like the big sister I had always wanted.

"Alright, I realize we panicked." Milliardo stepped back, but Noin didn't let go of me. "I'm sorry, Relena."

"It's... it's ok." I looked up at my brother, a mirror image of my features, and tried to smile.

"You should get some sleep." Noin smoothed my hair, almost like a Mother would, or maybe a kind older sister. "You know where your room is, why don't you get settled down. We'll talk about rules in the morning." Under her breath she added, "If Milliardo and I can think of any."

We all traded a look, and even I couldn't resist laughing a little. Maybe this new life living with my brother wouldn't be completely terrible...

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><p>AN: They're kind of a double-sided family, but we'll see more of that in the next chapter. They all do love each other, really, sometimes it just doesn't show as much. Anyway, I love reviews, so would you be as kind as to send me some? And thank you so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter is for Truish, who guessed at what was going on with Noin. Here's your answer, Truish! In other news, I am not doing the fiction work I want to because my panic towards it is coming back and I don't want to mess anything up. Again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and I make no profit from this.

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><p>I heard talking as I rolled over in bed for at least the tenth time that morning. I missed my old room, not that I hated it here. Everything seemed so plain, though my brother and Noin had agreed I could paint, decorate and rearrange my room however I wanted.<p>

"What did it say?" Milliardo was saying, obviously talking to Noin.

"Negative. They're always negative." Noin exhaled so shakily that it almost sounded like a sob. "I know it's hard on you too, it's just... I want this so badly... I was so set for our baby when we were 18, and now I feel like I'm never going to be a mother... I'm sorry, Milliardo, I'm being so cruel to you..."

Oh. _Oh._

Noin was trying to get pregnant, and she couldn't. That's why she had been so annoyed having to talk about losing her baby.

"You're not, it's ok." Milliardo spoke in hushed tones, I could barely hear him. He was obviously paranoid about me hearing him, or trying very hard to calm her. Maybe both. "I know it's hard on you, sweetheart. We're going to figure out a way for you to have a baby. We'll go to the doctor as soon as we can get an appointment in."

I looked at my alarm clock and then rolled away from it. I was in the first guest bedroom, meaning I had a queen size bed and too much room. Some of Noin and Milliardo's clothes were still in the closet, next to my boxes of clothes that I had yet to unpack.

"Relena." Milliardo's voice came from my doorway just as I closed my eyes. He sounded a bit shaken, as if the whole Noin-couldn't-get-pregnant thing was getting to him as well.

I wondered briefly how much my brother had changed over the years. This was the brother that when I broke my arm at the park, there wasn't a phone in sight, and he had gotten his license to drive merely _two weeks _ago, had driven me to the hospital, promising me it would be ok the whole way.

"Relena, it's almost ten. Do you want to get up?" He sat beside me, patting my hand. "Relena, Relena." He repeated my name a few times as if conjuring a memory up. "Do you remember when we were kids and I was the only one you would let tuck you in at night?"

"I'm going back to sleep." I moved to the opposite side of the bed in protest.

"I don't think so." He yanked the covers off of me, picked me up and set me on my feet. "Time to get up. Dawn cracked at five in the morning and I didn't make you get up then."

I wobbled on my feet and grabbed his shoulder to steady me. "You've gotten to be quite an ass, haven't you?" I sighed as I stared up at him. "You better remember that I'm your little sister, and that doesn't mean you get full control over me."

"I know." Milliardo smiled peacefully and said, "Relena, your shirt is caught in your bra."

"I know that." I shot back, but yanked my shirt down anyway. He didn't say anything after that and he didn't tease me, but then again he never had the cruelty to tease me. "So you and Noin are trying to have a baby?" I asked after several minutes.

"Yes." He didn't lie about it, but he studied my expression as if waiting for an outburst.

I looked up at him and then nodded. "You'd be a good parent."

He smiled at me and nodded, but with a brisk thank you, he breezed out of my room.

I debated going back to bed, but instead dug some clothes out and headed for the shower.

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><p>"We're neighbors now!" A cheerful redhead girl announced when I answered the door nearly two hours later. A brown haired boy with his hair hanging over one eye stood behind her, giving me a look that clearly said "<em>shoot me now<em>".

"Um, nice to meet you." I shook her hand. "I'm Relena Peacecraft."

"I'm Catherine Bloom." The girl smiled at me. "It's so nice to see another girl in this neighborhood."

"Who's your friend?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"My brother, Trowa." She pushed Trowa to stand beside her. "And before you say we don't look alike, he's adopted."

Trowa immediately wiped the "shoot me" look off his face and gave me a nod. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." I said and gave him a quick smile, though I didn't exactly mean it. I hated it when people couldn't at least fake a smile when meeting someone. What's life without good first impressions?

Oh, right, I had probably made a bad one on my brother when I bolted.

"I really don't want to talk right now." I brushed my hair back from my face. "So I guess I'll see you around?"

"Of course, I heard about your parents, I'm very sorry for your loss." Catherine gave me a little wave and then slipped off the porch, forcefully tugging Trowa behind her. When they slipped inside their house, I shut the door and turned to see Noin standing there.

"I'm sorry I was so horrible to you that first day..." She sighed. "I just... well, Milliardo told me you heard our conversation..."

"It must be really hard not being able to have a baby when you want one so badly." I nodded. "I understand you being a little annoyed that you had to talk about losing your baby that first day. Regardless of things I can't completely understand, I think we need to stick together. We're both girls, right?"

"You're a good kid." Noin gave me a hug and a quick kiss on the forehead. "If I have a daughter I hope she's exactly like you."

"Thanks." I smiled up at her. "I think you'll be a good Mother. Both of you will be good parents, you're both wonderful people."

"Thank you." Noin gave me a smile of her own and then headed for the kitchen. "Want to help me make lunch?"

"Sure." I ran up to her and followed her into the kitchen. "So why aren't either of you working lately?"

"When we found out you were coming to live with us, we both put in for a week off work." She paused and laughed. "Well, I put in for a week. Milliardo had so many vacation days he put in for two weeks, you know the use them or lose them policy."

"Can I be rude for a moment?" I asked, thinking about the question I had wanted to ask earlier. When Noin nodded, I asked my question "How did you guys get such a nice house, in such a nice neighborhood, when neither of you graduated college?"

"Well, we made sure Milliardo finished out his year at college, since he was in college a year early." Noin pulled several things out of the fridge for sandwiches. "And then we took turns taking Internet classes. You go at your own pace with those, so if you work hard you can finish out early."

"You two were so smart about it... most people don't think like that." I smiled at Noin. "I look up to you for being able to think clearly with all you've been through these past few years."

"Yeah, well," Noin chuckled a little and patted the top of my head. "I'm pretty sure it runs in Milliardo's blood, since he planned everything out after we found out I was pregnant. So you've got it too, the gene for thinking clearly under pressure I mean."

I smiled blankly at her, unsure of what I could say to that. Still, I liked having her as a female role model. She was definitely much cooler than anyone I had met before who had tried to act like her.

Despite that I hated the reason I had to come there, I was really starting to like this place as a home and this family as my family.

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><p>AN: This chapter was a little longer because I had a lot of things to say in it. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading, and I would love it if you dropped me a review.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: First of all, I've been up a long time but I will try my hardest to get this right. Second of all I'm going to thank StormyMonday, because I believe I forgot to thank her for the information she sent me. Thank you, Stormy, I appreciate the help! Third of all, lets get started.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this.

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><p>The next day, I invited Catherine over just to have some girl talk.<p>

"So..." Catherine asked as we sat on the floor of my room. "Do you still have friends back home, or were you kind of a loner there?"

"I had a best friend and a boyfriend." I sighed and felt my heart beat faster at the mention of my ex boyfriend, not to mention my palms turning sweaty and that damned tic coming into my eye. "When my boyfriend found out I had to leave town, he immediately dumped me and then asked my best friend out in front of me."

"Ouch." Catherine patted my hand, but her expression, eyes narrowed, mouth frowning, and eyebrows furrowed, made me think she would've personally killed him. "He wanted to burn his bridges didn't he?"

"Not like he was the best guy to start with. In a six -month relationship he cheated on me twice." I rubbed the tic in my eye to try and calm it. "Once with the school slut and another time with my worst enemy. I don't know why I wanted to save _that _relationship so badly."

"Don't be a doormat, it'll only get you stepped on." Catherine sighed. "But yeah, I've been there. His name was Heero..."

"Hero?" I asked incredulously. "Hero like a hero sandwich?"

"Yes, yes indeed-y." Catherine laughed. "I thought he was a good person, but we went out for maybe, oh, three weeks before I realized he had stood me up four times and emotionally abused me. So I know what you were going through, a little anyway."

"Boys." I sighed. "Can't live without them, can't shoot them."

"Yeah." She said.

I was silent for a moment and then asked, "But why do they tend to shoot themselves in the foot?"

Catherine stared at me with owl eyes and then laughed. When she started, I started and then we were both rolling on the floor.

When I looked up at the door as we finally tried to catch our breath, Noin and Milliardo were staring at us. Their eyes were wide and they looked like they had never seen two girls have a laughing fit before.

"Are we that entertaining?" I asked as I sat up, self-conscious.

"This is good, Milliardo, leave them be." Noin smiled at me and nudged my brother away from the doorway.

Catherine gave me a questioning look and I shrugged. There was a moment of silence between us and then I asked, "So what's with you and your brother?"

"I-... I don't have a clue what you mean." Catherine straightened up, but her face had turned scarlet and her eyes were darting around the room.

"Seriously?" My jaw just about hit the floor. "It's like that?"

"In my defense, he's adopted, we're only a year apart, and we don't have sex." Catherine was so quiet I had to strain to hear her. "So it's not like it's wrong or anything."

"Well, ok, it's not legally wrong." I had dropped my tone as well. "But still, blood or not, he is your brother."

"He acts like he hates me in public so no one will know, please don't tell." Catherine's eyes had gone glossy. "Please, I'm begging you."

"Don't worry." I gave her a quick hug. "I won't rat you out, you're not hurting anyone."

"Oh, you're a God." She dragged her hands across her eyes to wipe the tears away. "Goddess is the right term, but you're awesome. Thank you."

"Don't thank me." I smiled at her. "I'm just trying to be a friend."

"You already are." Catherine leaned over and gave me a big hug. "You're the best friend anyone could ever ask for."

"That's a little overkill." I smiled. "But we're definitely friends."

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><p>AN: Laid-back chapter, sorry. I needed to get it in there to flesh out Catherine. I think the next chapter will be with Duo, but don't quote me.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I've been up way too long, but I'm determined to keep working. In others news, if this chapter seems a little odd, I'm sorry, it's the all nighter talking. I'm doing my best, I swear.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make absolutely no profit from this.

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><p>"So you found out about Noin's problem?" Duo asked as we sat on the front step that evening.<p>

"Shh, you don't want her to know you know, do you?" I slapped Duo's arm and he flinched.

"Hey, no need to slap me..." He attempted to look sad, but I smiled at him long enough that he broke into a grin. "Ok, ok, you win. It's just not in my nature to be sad."

"How are you so happy when your parents died?" I asked, leaning against him. "I don't get it. You lost two important people, the most important people, the people who gave you life, and you can still grin like that?"

"Feeling bad about the whole situation?" Duo slipped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

"Yes." I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "I feel bad for laughing while talking to Catherine earlier too."

"Just think of it this way." Duo's grin straightened out into a solemn look. "Your parents would've wanted you to keep living, no matter what happened to them. They wouldn't want you to mourn them forever. Here, if you could tell them anything, what would it be?"

"That's stupid, they can't hear me." I started to move away, but he nudged me back into sitting.

"Look, there they are." Duo pointed to the first two stars that had peeked out into the sky that night. "What would you say to them? Be brutally honest."

"Well..." I looked at Duo, who nodded. "I'd say that I'm mad at them for kicking Milliardo out when he was 18, that I'm sorry they died, that I love them, and that... not to worry about me, because I like it here."

"Doesn't that feel better?" Duo pulled me into a hug and squeezed me gently. "Isn't it nice to have that off your chest?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. I wasn't sure if I was going to cry or not, but I didn't want to. I was trying to convince myself that I felt more relief than anything else.

"You can cry if you want to." Duo held me in the hug, setting his chin on my shoulder. "If it makes you feel better."

"No." I took another deep breath, but snuggled closer to him. "I'm not going to cry. I've done enough of that."

"Whatever you say, Lady." Duo grinned at me. "I just want you to feel better."

I pressed my face into his shoulder, and he rubbed my back. We were silent for a little while, and then he asked, "Why are you so frustrating to someone like me?"

When I looked up, the grin had left his face. He looked confused, worried, and something else I couldn't place.

"How do I frustrate you?" I replied, an answer as a question, but I knew how. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and looked up at him.

"You're so beautiful, and we understand each other, but you just seem like..." Duo struggled for a phrase, and it was visible in his face.

"Like I don't want a relationship right now?" I asked dryly. He nodded and I said, "Yeah, that's pretty damn accurate considering how my last one ended."

"Would you mind telling me what happened?" Duo's voice had gone soft and so had his eyes. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Only emotionally." I launched into the story of my boyfriend and best friend, a more detailed version than I had given Catherine, and when I finished Duo blinked wide eyes at me.

"He sounds like an ass." Duo shook his head. "I don't understand why guys do that. Girls aren't interchangeable. They have feelings just like anyone else."

I got that feeling like I might throw up or cry again, so I stood. "I... I need to go inside, I don't feel well, goodnight."

"Wait." Duo stopped, stepping in front of me. "Not for any bribery of a relationship, just to make sure you feel better." He kissed my forehead, just a brush of his lips on my skin, and then he stepped out of my way.

I stared at the door as if it were a foreign object I had never seen in my life, and then figured out how to work the knob and slipped inside.

"He likes you." Noin teased gently. "Duo's a good kid, but Milliardo probably has a different opinion on that. Your brother is so protective of you, Relena, you should feel lucky."

"Yeah." I leaned against the wall, and I didn't realize my eyes had teared up until I felt the lava temperature tears slip down my neck. "Noin, everything's a mess. My parents are dead, I lost my best friend and first boyfriend, and now Duo's after me even though I don't want a relationship. What the hell is wrong with me that I can't keep my life going smoothly?"

"Oh, sweetheart..." Noin hugged me tightly, stroking my hair and murmuring soothing phrases in my ear. "I know it's hard, but it could be worse."

"I don't understand how." I pulled back and wiped my eyes. "How could it possibly be worse?"

"You could be an only child." Noin raised an eyebrow at me.

I couldn't help but laugh, even though the idea wasn't all that funny. Sometimes, you have to laugh to stop crying.

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><p>AN: I'm going to go over and work on Gathered now. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, but as always, I love to hear what you think. Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I've been up a seriously long time, but I'm doing rotating work on everything to stay awake, so here we are again. In other news, I find that The CD Move Along by the All-American Rejects works well for this story. Mostly the mood. Listen to it if you want while you read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this.

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><p>In a week, everything had almost settled to nearly normal way. Catherine and I had been sent to pick out paint colors for my room, Noin and Milliardo were in particularly good moods and so was I.<p>

The problem being that I hadn't been able to face Duo.

"So you're not for pink." Catherine said, searching through the paint sample cards. "I get that. You don't want it to be like inside a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. What about something in the purple family?"

"Duo's going to think I hate him..." I sighed. I wasn't even looking at the paint cards.

"He's a good guy, he will not." Catherine ran her fingers over the tops of the samples. "He's probably worried about you though."

"I like green." I said absently.

"Huh?" Catherine blinked before it registered. "Oh, green, what shade?"

"He wouldn't hate me for being confused, would he?" I glanced around; the stress was definitely getting to me.

"Relena, honestly, I'm getting caught up in this like you're tying me up with rope." Catherine sighed, holding up a shade of green, _New Leaf, _to my eyes. "Can we stick to one conversation and come back to the other later?"

"I'm sorry. I just... it's hard to focus." I took the card from her and studied it. "I think I want something a little darker, only one or two shades though."

"Ok..." Catherine rifled through the cards. "Did the siblings give you a budget?"

"The siblings?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Milliardo is your brother and Noin is like your non-evil sister in law even though they're not married." Catherine shrugged. "Anyway, answer me."

"No. They just told me not to go completely insane." I shrugged. "Why?"

"You could do two colors instead of just green." Catherine smiled, she seemed to like decorating. "You could alternate walls and do the ceiling too."

In the end we bought _New Leaf_ and _Robin's Egg_ and as we walked out of the store Catherine looked at me and flat out grinned. "Now, let's talk boys."

"Duo's just so different than the other boys I've known." I helped her load the cans of paint, brushes and drop cloths into the back of the car. "I don't want to screw this up, you know?"

"Duo's never had a girlfriend before, did you know that?" Catherine laughed, though her laugh was lighthearted. "It's rare to find a boy so pure at heart. He's the kind of boy that if you open the door in just your bra and jeans, he can keep his eyes on your face."

"You know this from experience?" I smirked at her, unable to resist.

"That's a story for a time when we're not in a public place. Particularly not a parking lot." Catherine nudged me with her hip to go get in the passenger side.

The whole ride home, we didn't talk much. Instead we listened to Catherine's rock CDs, which were the exact type of music that I loved but my parents had called devil's music.

Just as we turned onto our street, Catherine asked, "Are Milliardo and Noin going to help you paint your room or do you want me to help?" After a moment's thought she added, "I can probably convince Trowa to help out too if we need him."

"I don't know, I'll have to get back to you on that." When the car pulled into my driveway I hopped out and so did Catherine. We carried the buckets of paint in, along with the other supplies, only to find Noin and my brother waiting by the door. "Is something wrong?" I asked, glancing between them.

"No, no, not at all." Milliardo had a huge smile on his face. "We just want to tell you something."

"I'll see you later, leaving the family matters to the family." Catherine left the painting supplies at my feet and headed for her car.

I shut the door and then asked, "Ok, what's going on?"

"I'm pregnant!" Noin smiled and hugged me, she was clearly happy beyond words.

"That's great Noin!" I smiled at her, truly happy for her. "You'll be a great mother."

"We were at the doctor today getting some tests done, and Noin didn't even know until they came back and told her." Milliardo smiled. "She's actually past the critical time, so you're going to be an Aunt Relena."

I smiled at both of them, happy that they were happy. But I still had my own problems to deal with...

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><p>AN: That chapter was a little laid back too. I'm trying; it's just that I'm just super out of it. I'm going back to work on Gathered again, but I love reviews! Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I promised a chapter tonight, and I'm making sure that you guys get it. I wouldn't want to be a liar, would I? Besides, I already had the idea.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, nor do I make a profit from this.

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><p>"We're never doing this again, you realize that?" Noin whispered to Catherine and me. "You better have picked colors you like a lot, sweetheart."<p>

The guys had instructed us girls to "leave it to them" (Milliardo), "Don't worry about it" (Trowa) and "stay out of the way for God's sake" (Duo). We were all irritated that they thought we couldn't do them any good in this situation. Sure, Noin couldn't lift anything, but she could give directions.

"Son of a _bitch_!" Duo yelped as he inevitably dropped something on his toe.

"Watch your language." Trowa shot at him; he was busy taking the bed apart so they could get it out the door. "I don't want you corrupting my sister."

"Oh like I'm not already corrupted..." Catherine muttered and I struggled to choke down my laughter.

"Boys. Stop fighting, please." Milliardo rubbed his forehead and sighed loudly.

"They make an interesting trio." I noted as Trowa said several swearwords much worse than bitch and began to fiddle with the drill he was using to take screws out of the bed frame.

"I think it's kind of nice to sit back and watch for once." Noin shot us a girlish grin. "I mean, normally it's me doing a lot of the household stuff, and I feel a little guilty, but come on, isn't this a little fun?"

"Yes." Catherine and I chorused with little smirks of our own.

"Damn it." Milliardo swore, and that was the first time I remember hearing him swear. "Duo, can you please help me with this?"

"Can do." Duo jumped over to him and helped organize the pile of bed parts, sticking notes on each one in coordinating to where it went on the bed.

"It is a little chivalrous of them to do this." I began. "But in a sexist way."

"You just insulted three guys you know in one fell swoop." Catherine raised an eyebrow. "You really think that's wise?"

"It is though." I said, though my voice had sunk down several levels. Still, I enjoyed having them move the furniture out for me.

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><p>"So." Duo said when the work was over for the day. He had his shirt off at this point and I was more than a little distracted from the conversation. "Do you want help painting it?"<p>

_If you keep that shirt off then sure. _I felt my face go red at my perverted thoughts. "Do you want to help? It would be nice... I mean... if you can."

Duo's smirk let me know he had an almost exact idea of what I was thinking. "Well, if you want me to, just call when you want me."

At the phrase "want me" I felt my face go redder. I looked away, because although I didn't want to look shy, I felt like someone had taken a match to my face. I knew I had to be red edging on purple by the way I felt.

"Anyway, I gotta get home." Duo moved closer and I did my best not to look at him. "My Aunt will be expecting me. I'm just down the street if you need me." He leaned down and kissed my forehead before he ran out.

"Honey!" Noin gasped when she walked into the room a few seconds later. "Oh, wait, I get it. Duo had his shirt off, huh?"

"I'm sorry I'm a pervert." I muttered and tried to dodge and go to my temporary bedroom, the second guest bedroom.

"Stop worrying. As long as you didn't try to jump him or anything, I see no problem with you liking his shirtless bod." She paused and then muttered, "Bod... do kids still say that nowadays?"

I couldn't help it, I laughed. Noin always said the best things. She would definitely be a good Mother.

"Glad to see I can still make someone laugh." Noin smiled at me. "Be honest, am I going to be a cool Mom?"

"You're going to be a cool Mom." I assured her. "That kid is going to love you."

"Thanks." Noin smiled more, and then glanced toward her room. "Well, you should probably get ready for bed. We're starting painting tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. And night." I kissed her cheek and headed for my room.

I changed into pajamas and curled up in bed, but I quickly found I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour, thinking about the kisses Duo had given me, and wondering if I could ever accept someone as my boyfriend again.

I finally fell asleep somewhere around midnight, and my dreams were the opposite of sweet.

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><p>AN: I'm off to bed, and have to grocery shop tomorrow, but I will answer reviews first chance I get. I felt like the tension was increasing in this chapter, and soon it will probably be over. Though I believe I will be able to do an epilogue for this... and maybe a spin-off of Trowa and Catherine with Relena and Duo on the side? I don't know, tell me what you think and thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm now pretty sure that short of a natural disaster or me falling ill, there will be a spin-off with Catherine and Trowa in main character spots. I do however want to finish this first. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make zero profit from this.

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><p>"Relena!" Milliardo was shaking me gently, waking me up with a jolt. Noin stood nearby, her eyes wet and shiny and her bottom lip tucked under her teeth.<p>

"What?" I turned away and coughed, my throat felt like someone had scraped it with a butter knife. "What's wrong, what's going on?"

"You were screaming in your sleep." Milliardo hugged me tightly. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Oh, God, don't remind me." I wriggled out of his arms and lay back on my bed. "Can I just go back to sleep? Please? You guys need your rest too, especially you, Noin..."

"I'm fine." Noin shook her head as if to add _don't worry about that right now._

"Will you tell me what it was about?" Milliardo asked softly. I knew that pillow-y voice he was using; it was the same one he had used when I had a nightmare as a child. It was designed to calm, soothe, and create a feeling of safety for the one it was being used on.

"I had a dream that you..." I paused and glanced at Noin, "And Noin got into a car crash and died..." I took a deep breath in and shook my head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you two."

"You're never going to lose us." Milliardo smoothed my hair and smiled. "We don't leave that easily."

With a few more convincing "I'm fine" and "I can go back to sleep" repetitions, I finally got them to go back to their room.

Still, those were lies. I lay there and stared up at the ceiling for a good thirty minutes before I heard a knock at my window.

"Hi." Duo mouthed, but his eyes were worried.

I glanced towards Noin and Milliardo's room, and then opened the window. "What?" I didn't mean to sound rude, but it did, and Duo gave me a flash of a frustrated look.

"Both Catherine and I heard you screaming." Duo pressed his hand against the screen. "Are you alright?"

"I had a bad dream, that's all. I'm sorry I scared you." I started to shut the window.

"Wait!" Duo yelped and I opened the window back up, shushing him while I did it. "You're really ok?" Duo's eyes ran over my face, watching me with worried intent.

"Yeah..." I swallowed hard, and then added, "Yeah, I think so. I just need some more sleep, I'll be ok in the morning."

"Alright, sweet dreams." Duo finally let me shut the window.

I watched him head home, and then curled back up in bed.

Still, sleep wouldn't take me.

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><p>"Relena, you look like hell." Noin said as the three of us, her, Milliardo and I bustled around the kitchen trying to get breakfast together in the absolute minimal time that we had.<p>

We had decided to tell everyone we wanted to start painting around ten-thirty, and Noin and Milliardo hadn't woken up until nine forty-five. I had been up since Milliardo woke me up from my nightmare, and I was dog-tired.

"Gee thanks." I blinked hard, the world was a little blurry, and then added. "Noin, if you're not careful that kid is going to be born a sailor."

"Oh, 'hell' isn't that bad." Noin leaned over and kissed Milliardo as he came into the kitchen. "Is it honey?"

"No." Milliardo smiled at the both of us. "Noin, do you have some old clothes that would fit Relena that she could paint in?"

"Yeah, I'll get them after breakfast." Noin came up behind me and checked the tag on the back of my shirt for the size. "But we need to hurry, the kids are going to be here in a little while to start painting."

I yawned loudly, and they both looked at me. "Sorry. I didn't really ever get back to sleep." I shrugged.

"Would you like to go to a therapist?" Milliardo asked, turning his attention to me. "It might help with some of the stress."

"I don't need a shrink." I sighed just as Noin turned slightly green and ran into the bathroom. Milliardo disappeared after her, and I was left alone in the kitchen.

The phone rang. I answered the kitchen's cordless phone and listened to Catherine's nervous chatter.

"You're positive you're ok?" Catherine asked. "I thought something was seriously wrong! I've never heard anyone scream like that!"

"I'm fine." I scrambled the eggs and buttered the toast, leaving the pre-cooked bacon in the microwave to stay hot.

"Oh I'm so glad you're ok!" Catherine squealed, switching gears too quickly for me to react. "I was so worried, but Duo said he'd check on you and then he never got back to me."

"Bipolar much?" Trowa asked from somewhere in the background.

"Mom, Trowa's picking on me!" Catherine whined and I couldn't help but laugh at their sibling act.

"Get off the phone, Cathy, your Father is waiting for a call." A woman, Catherine's mother I assumed, took the phone. "I'm very sorry, Relena but Cathy will have to call you back. Or talk to you when she comes over."

"Mom!" Catherine yelped, but then the phone cut out. I smiled and set the phone back in its cradle.

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><p>"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" Catherine said at exactly ten-thirty as she dragged Trowa into the house. "I didn't know she would do that." She gave me a hug, letting go of Trowa, who looked relieved.<p>

"Relax, I'm not mad." I hugged her back tightly. "Hey Trowa." I acknowledged the brown haired boy over Catherine's shoulder.

"Let's get started." Catherine headed for my now emptied room, talking to Trowa about setting out drop cloths and the paint.

I leaned against the wall and watched Duo approach the house through the open door. It was just going to be us kids for a while, because Noin wasn't feeling well and Milliardo didn't want to leave her. Noin swore up and down that the nausea would pass, but it had been almost an hour and it hadn't. When Milliardo had called the doctor, in a panic like I had never seen him before, the doctor had assured him that this just happened sometimes.

"Hey." Duo stepped into the house and I shut the door behind him.

"Thanks for checking on me last night." I murmured and hugged him tightly.

"Anything for you." Duo kissed the top of my head. "Did Trowa and Catherine ditch already?"

"They're setting everything out." I shrugged. "Catherine seems to know what she's doing."

"Trowa probably doesn't." The braided boy sighed. "We should get in there and help out."

"Yeah." I mumbled, but we had locked eyes, and Duo was leaning down...

He gave me a shy little kiss on the lips and then grabbed my hand, leading me into my room.

I have to say, despite it not being my first, that kiss was the best one I had ever had, because _it meant something._

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><p>AN: This was planned out in my head so much differently than how it worked out. Ah, well, tell me what you think. Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Author Note: We're finishing up here, but there will be an epilogue and a TrowaXCatherine spin off. I won't start the spin off immediately, but it will be soon. I just want to get Not So Fated and Scarring Secrets kicked into high gear before I start something else.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or make a profit from this.

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><p>"We have more paint on us than the walls!" I giggled as I tried to wipe green paint off of my hands and arms, but to no avail. I laughed again as I thought I must look part Martian.<p>

"You look like one of those little alien figures but without the big head and huge creepy eyes." Catherine smirked, but I knew she was just joking.

"Can you two not do that?" Trowa made a face and Catherine stuck her tongue out at him.

"Children!" Duo clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. He had blue paint smeared across his cheek, and it was incredibly cute.

I smiled to myself as I realized I was finally thinking of Duo that way.

"We still need to do the ceiling." I interrupted. "Who wants to do the ceiling?"

"I'll do it." Duo offered. "What color?"

"Green." I smiled at him, though Catherine and Trowa made a face at me.

"Why would you want the ceiling green when you have beautiful blue?" Catherine was still making a face, but now it was more surprised than anything else.

"Because it's my room and I want it to be unique." I blew a raspberry at her. "Can everyone not argue with me? Please?"

Catherine smirked and dived at me, hugging me tightly. Every drop of paint on her, that wasn't dry, splotched onto the shirt and jeans that Noin had given me to wear.

Trowa rolled his eyes, but I saw him smile before he tipped his head down for his hair to hide it.

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><p>Later, when we had finished painting and Catherine and Trowa had headed home, Duo and I stood in the middle of the room. The room smelled like chemicals from the fresh paint, and cut grass from the open window.<p>

"You're not afraid of me anymore, huh?" Duo asked, stroking my hair. He had paint on his hands, but I didn't care, it would come out of my hair eventually.

"I was never afraid of _you_." I rolled my eyes but couldn't resist giving him a smile. "I just... I hated the thought of a repeat of what happened in my old town. Asshole boyfriend that I had and all."

"I'm not a repeat of any kind." Duo smirked at me and leaned down, closer. "I'm my own man."

He leaned down, even closer to me, but in the end I was the one that closed in and stole the kiss.

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><p>AN: Now that's taken care of, I will do the epilogue and post that too. Anyone who enjoys non-related TrowaXCatherine, keep an eye out for the spin off ok? Anyway, leave me a comment if you will, and thank you for reading!


	11. Epilogue

A/N: Here is the epilogue. The spin off will be under a different name, so keep an eye out. I hope to have the first chapter up in the next few days. For now, this all. Thank you so much for making it this far!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this.

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><p>Ten months later, everything and nothing has changed. Noin found out several months into her pregnancy she was having twins, a boy and a girl. Both of them were born happy, healthy, and loud. I was still with Duo, and we were going steady and strong.<p>

"Naina, we're going to go find one of your parents..." I murmured, holding Noin's baby girl closer. Milou, her twin, had gone down for a nap, but I couldn't get Naina to stop crying no matter what I did.

Someone knocked on the door and I veered off course to go answer it. "Hi Duo!" I grinned at him, feeling a little insane as I did so.

"Hey, lovely." Duo kissed my cheek and Naina grabbed his braid, giggling and cooing as she pulled on it. "As long as you don't pull my hair out of my head we're cool, squirt." Duo gently took Naina from me, holding her close and letting her tug on his hair.

"You're so good with kids." I shut the door behind him, smiling. "I need to find Noin or Milliardo, I can't get Naina to go down for her nap."

"Why are you stuck with the kids?" Duo raised an eyebrow at me. "They're not yours."

"All I know is I wanted to help out, and then someone left, and the other someone disappeared." I glanced around the house, I had checked Noin and Milliardo's room, but no one was there.

"Oh, wait." Duo made his way over to the calendar on the wall. "I think today is their anniversary. They probably went somewhere."

"How do you possibly remember these things when you don't even live here?" I huffed, but then I looked down at Naina, who had fallen asleep hugging Duo's braid. "Jerk." I stuck my tongue out at Duo for being better with Naina than I was, and then led him into the nursery.

As he set Naina in the crib, I sat on the nursery floor and peered into Milou's crib. He was sound asleep, his hand curled around his blankie.

"They're cute." Duo smiled as he sat down beside me. "Do you want kids when you're older?"

"We're 17, how would I know if I wanted kids?" I leaned against him. "I don't even know what I want to do in life."

"We have time." Duo gave me a laidback grin and kissed my temple. "You can have all the time you want to decide about things like that."

"Do I wear the pants in this relationship?" I asked, mostly just curious and not trying to insult him. "Because you're so easygoing about everything."

"I just want you to be happy." Duo kissed my cheek. "Is that so wrong?"

I smiled and kissed him. I don't know how long we were like that, but then I heard someone clear their throat and Duo and I separated quickly.

"Hi, Noin!" I mumbled, not without enthusiasm, but still trying to keep it down and not wake the babies. "Hi Milliardo!" I added when I spotted my brother behind her. "What's going on?"

Noin flashed her hand at me, a diamond ring on her finger, and grinned like a slightly insane woman. "We're getting married!"

I smiled and jumped up to hug her. I hugged my brother next; spouting congratulations like a sprinkler spouts water.

Somehow, despite why I had come here, I found that I loved my life of loving brothers and kind boyfriends.

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><p>AN: That's actually a pretty long epilogue for me. Yes, I used names from Frozen Teardrop. Also, I would love it if you could review and tell me what you think! Thank you for sticking around till the end!


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